ImPRESSions© The Official Newsletter Of The American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association Feb. 2006 Vol. 39 No. 2 AARWBA Announces Ombudsman Program; Process Will Help Members With Work Concerns Valvoline Is Founding Underwriter Inside this issue: - About the new Ombudsman program - FORD Contest winners announced - News & Notes from members SAVE THE DATE: The next All-America Team dinner will be held on Saturday, January 13, 2007, in the main ballroom of the Hyatt in Indianapolis. Details to follow. American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association, Inc. (www.aarwba.org) ”Dedicated To Increasing Media Coverage of Motor Sports” AARWBA Announces Ombudsman Program; Process Will Help Members With Work Concerns Valvoline Is Founding Underwriter Building on the member-friendly initiatives created during the 50th Anniversary Celebration, AARWBA's Board of Directors is pleased to announce the new Ombudsman program, designed to assist media and the motorsports industry with an intermediary and a common-sense process to resolve legitimate concerns regarding work issues. This important service places AARWBA in a similar position with respected and effective organizations such as the Baseball Writers Association of America, Pro Football Writers Association and the 842-7005 Professional Hockey Writers Association in terms of providing members with a process to work out legitimate concerns. Please Jim Rocco, Valvoline Designated Team Owner for refer to the information below for the formal Mission Statement and Valvoline Evernham Racing (left), displays specific details on how the Ombudsman process will work. The Valvoline’s founding underwriter check for the Ombudsman is operational effective immediately. AARWBA Ombudsman Fund with VPs Mike Harris and Lewis Franck and Valvoline Dodge team owner Ray Evernham. AARWBA thanks Valvoline, which has stepped forward as the founding underwriter of the Ombudsman program. Jim Rocco, Valvoline Designated Team Owner for Valvoline Evernham Racing, issued the following statement during the NASCAR Media Tour: "Valvoline has been involved in racing since the first race in North America -- in Chicago in 1895. J. Frank Duryea was the winning driver and he won with Valvoline. We've been at the races with the nation's motorsports media for almost as long. Instead of giving each of you a jacket or diecast -- which I'm sure you have plenty of -- we want to do something a bit more meaningful. Valvoline will donate to AARWBA for the establishment of its Ombudsman Fund. The fund will be administered by AARWBA for media with a legitimate 'working' problem with a driver, owner, team, track or sanctioning group who need advocacy. It is not a legal fund, but more an arbitration or mediation mechanism which they feel is needed to resolve issues quietly and profes- sionally. Valvoline is proud to be Founding Underwriter of this fund for racing journalists." The AARWBA Ombudsman Mission Statement: "To provide AARWBA members who have legitimate concerns (regarding issues such as credentials, access, and treatment by drivers, owners, officials, track and sanctioning organization personnel and other media sources), which affect their ability to perform their work assignments, an intermediary through which to address and attempt to resolve those concerns." Process: An AARWBA member who believes he/she has a legitimate concern to bring to the AARWBA Ombuds- man will follow this process: ...continued on next page Shav Glick Retirement Event Planned California Speedway plans to host a reception in honor of Shav Glick’s retirement. Here is the information we have received from AARWBA friend Dennis Bickmeier: Date: Thursday, February 23 (start of NASCAR weekend) Time: 6:30 p.m. Location: Party Zone Tent, inside the tunnel in suite parking lot. (Enter through the tunnel, turn right and it’s the first and only tent in the suite lots to the right). Guests are asked to enter through Gate 6 off of San Bernardino Ave., turn left toward the tunnel by the Credential Building. For more information: www.californiaspeedway.com/retirement PLEASE NOTE: This information is for media/PR reps use only and not for public distribution. The party is private and not open to the general public. All Contents © The American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association 922 North Pass Avenue Burbank, CA 91505-2703 (818) 2 AARWBA Ombudsman Program 1. The member will contact his/her appropriate regional Vice President, or a Vice President in attendance at the event. 2. The Vice President will review the situation and will have full discretion to determine if the matter falls under the Ombudsman Mission Statement. If so, the VP will attempt to quickly resolve the issue or achieve a reasonable settlement. 3. The VP will report back to the AARWBA Board. If necessary, the VP may request the President to activate the full Ombudsman Committee. The Committee will consist of three persons: a) The VP who first reviewed the matter, who will lead the Committee; b) A person, appointed by the President, who may have special knowledge of, or expertise in, the area of concern; 842-7005 c) Michael Knight, who has experience on both the media and PR side of the motorsports industry, will serve as a permanent member of the Committee. d) If, for any reason, it is deemed inappropriate for any Committee member to serve, the President will appoint a replacement. 4. The Committee will have complete authority from AARWBA to attempt to bring the member's concern to the best obtainable resolution. 5. The appropriate regional VP will keep the member informed of developments throughout the process. The Committee's on-going work activities will be considered "confidential" and not for the knowledge of anyone beyond the immediate parties and the AARWBA Board. 6. The Committee, upon completion of its work, will report back to the AARWBA Board. The Committee will then communicate its final report to all involved parties. The Committee will recommend to the Board what, if anything, to report to the full membership via the AARWBA newsletter. The Board will have the final decision on what information, if any, to make public. AARWBA Ombudsman Contacts: President: Dusty Brandel, [email protected] National Vice President: Mike Hollander, [email protected] Eastern Vice President: Lewis Franck, [email protected] Southern Vice President: Mike Harris, [email protected] Midwest Vice President: Ron Lemasters, [email protected] Western Vice President: Susan Wade, [email protected] Secretary-Treasurer: Dr. George Peters, [email protected] Ombudsman Committee Member: Michael Knight, [email protected] David Poole of the Charlotte Observer wrote the following on January 24: “Instead of giving ‘gifts’ to media tour members, Valvoline contributed $2,500 to a writers’ group fund to hire an ombudsman to help members mediate issues that arise in their jobs. Every sponsor should use that as an example. Instead of hand- ing out hats, computer bags or other freebies, donate the amount that would have been spent to an appropriate charity. Any tour participant who complains should not be invited back next year, because if you’re here to pick up trinkets you’re not here for the right reasons.” All Contents © The American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association 922 North Pass Avenue Burbank, CA 91505-2703 (818) 3 FORD Motorsports Journalism Award Of Excellence Winners Announced! 1st Place: Article Title: The Biff (Greg BIffle) by Dick Berggren, Speedway Illustrated. 2nd Place: Article Title: Dear Old Dad (John Force) by Susan Wade, National Speed Sport News. 3rd Place: 842-7005 Article Title: Quarter Mile Thunder (Eric Medlen) by Norm Froscher, Racing Milestones. Berggren receives a cash prize of $1,000 along with a framed artwork of Henry Ford’s “Sweepstakes” race car. Wade and Froscher receive a gift package from Ford Racing. AARWBA thanks Ford for sponsoring this contest in support of the 50th Anniversary Celebra- tion. AARWBA friend Kevin Kennedy says Ford will offer this contest again. Watch for details in the newsletter later this year. AARWBA 50th Event VIDEO! Did you miss the Awards Banquet for the AARWBA 2005 Auto Racing All America Team? Well we have great news! You can watch a video of the event on the internet! Click the headline above or the 50th logo to watch the video! Many thanks to Mike Hollander for recording the event! IMPORTANT NOTE TO ALL AARWBA MEMBERS! By now everyone should be able to open the newsletter when it comes via email. If you can not open it, the reason is most likely that you still don’t have the Acrobat reader software on your computer. This is easily remedied! Simply click on this word “ACROBAT!” and download the file. It will not harm your computer! It is free! It is easy to install! Help your AARWBA to contain costs by using email to distribute our newsletter! All Contents © The American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association 922 North Pass Avenue Burbank, CA 91505-2703 (818) 4 There Is Something You Can (And Should) Do For The AARWBA! From Mike Hollander, AARWBA Vice-President Newsletter Editor Andy Hartwell recently had a great idea. He’s a member who didn’t “know what needs to be done” to support the AARWBA and keep us growing. Well, here’s a list of things for which the AARWBA needs the help of its members. If you are reading this, you are a member. Please pick one or more items from the list that you can do to help us grow into an organization with the same kind of clout as other professional media organi- zations, such as the Baseball Writer’s Association. If you drop us a note, together we can get the ball rolling. Write to our President, Dusty Brandel, or to me, Mike Hollander. And remember, if we all take just one item on the list, that will mean we have close to 500 people doing a little something each to 842-7005 build our organization’s stature and membership.